How To Clean Oil Stain From Concrete Driveway

10 Best Ways to Get Rid of Oil Stains From Driveway

June 16th, 2022 by

10 best ways to get rid of oil stains from driveway

Oil, gas, and transmission fluids can exit a stain on your physical driveway or garage floor that may seem nearly impossible to remove. Oil stains on concrete are not just an eyesore that detracts from the beauty of your domicile, but chances are they have also caused a squabble or two with your better half.

If you lot knew how to remove oil stains from driveway using everyday household products and, in so doing, could bring a smile to your partner'south face, it would be a win-win, right?

Getting rid of oil stains on concrete can exist a challenge. Later all, concrete is porous, retains clay, and is a tough surface to make clean. Sometimes y'all have to think outside of the box. Here are ten tried and true ways to remove cruddy oil stains from your physical driveway:

i. An cheap brand of cat litter

Cat litter is usually made up of highly absorbent dirt and is surprisingly effective every bit an oil stain remover. But not all cat litter is the same. The more expensive brands tend to be made with perfumes and are prone to clumping upwards when they come in contact with moisture. Your best bet is to get with one of the less expensive brands.

To make clean oil off driveway, simply cascade the cat litter on the stain and permit it sit for around a half-60 minutes. (If the oil stain covers a large expanse, allow it sit overnight.) Next, use your broom to sweep upwardly the litter. So, employ a bristle brush and detergent to scrub it clean, rinsing with water when you're done. If that doesn't do the trick, repeat the procedure.

If yous practice not have cat litter, y'all can substitute cornstarch or cornmeal as your absorbent. Talcum and infant powder are also effective.

2. Oven cleaner

Oven cleaner can be a very effective treatment for oil stains on concrete. But spray the target area with oven cleaner and permit it settle for ten minutes. Apply a hard bristle brush to scrub it clean and rinse with a hose. Repeat the process until the stain is removed.

3. Sawdust and paint thinner

If you are seeking tips on how to get rid of oil stains on driveway, you can't do much better than this. Sawdust is an fantabulous remedy because, like cat litter, it's an absorbent that can mop upwardly oil. Paint thinners then deed as solvents that dilute oil-past paints. Mix them together, and you have merely hacked an constructive way to remove oil from your driveway.

After mixing them, spread the sawdust over the oil stain for about half an 60 minutes. Use your broom to sweep abroad the sawdust. If the stain remains, repeat the steps until it is gone.

iv. Baking soda

If yous are researching how to get rid of oil stains on driveway, baking soda has to be on your list.

Like to the way yous employ oven cleaner, you lot can employ blistering soda to an oil stain, wait twenty or thirty minutes for it to be absorbed, then use your hose to rinse the expanse. If that doesn't work, cascade more than blistering soda on the oil stain and, after a half-hour, apply a wet, hard brush to scrub the surface area, and then spray it clean with h2o.

If the baking soda doesn't solve your trouble, open your cupboard and catch some vinegar and vegetable oil.

Pour the vinegar on the oil and let it rest for a few minutes. Follow the aforementioned instructions that you lot used for the baking soda. If that doesn't do the flim-flam, try the vegetable oil. Considering grease counters grease!

five. Liquid detergent

The reason heavy-duty liquid detergent is such an effective remedy for oil stains on concrete

has to do with the behavior of molecules and chemical processes – we'll spare you the details. What's of import is how to pull it off. Start by pouring the detergent straight on the oil stain, add water, and scrub with a hard brush. Then rinse it off with a hose and have a moment to curiosity at the majesty of your work.

6. Poultice

A poultice, as it pertains to stain removal, is a mass of a porous fabric that is filled with a solvent. For our purposes, you can make a poultice yourself by finely grinding an absorbent material like talc or sawdust into a pulverisation, and then mixing it with a combination of soap and hot water.

Then, pour h2o over the oil stain and spread the paste-similar poultice over the stain and let it soak in. Once the poultice has stale, use a hard brush to scrape the area clean. If the stain does not disappear the first time, don't surrender – repeat the procedure and try again.

If you lot wish to cutting to the chase, instead of concocting information technology yourself, you can purchase poultice for stain removal at Home Depot or on Amazon.

7. Use concrete cleaner or degreaser

If you demand a more aggressive approach for removing oil stains on concrete, you can always get a concrete cleaner or degreaser at your local hardware shop or online. This involves scrubbing what is essentially a concentrated alkaline soap into your target area. The lather loosens upwards the oil and enables the grime to be rinsed away more easily.

8. Coca Cola

People have been using Coke equally a cleaner and stain remover for generations, but its effectiveness as an oil stain remover is still something of a hush-hush. If you are on a tight budget, using proficient, old-fashioned Coke may be the least expensive and easiest solution.

Start by pouring two cans of Coke onto the oil stain. Give it a day to perform its magic. Then wash information technology off with a hose and that should exercise the flim-flam. If the stain isn't gone, cascade a couple more cans over the spot and wait some other 24 hours. You can always get more Coke at the store!

9. The kitchen sink approach

Getting rid of oil stains on concrete sometimes requires unusual solutions. This is the "throw the kitchen sink at the problem" approach, and our friends at Readers Digest attest to its effectiveness. Instead of using whatever i idea on this listing by itself, try combining them into one powerful solution.

Y'all will need a bag of cat litter, some laundry detergent, a few cans of cola, and bleach. Y'all volition also need a broom, prophylactic gloves, and goggles to protect your eyes.

Begin by applying a thin layer of cat litter over the stain. Pour cola over your target surface area, mixing it in with your broom. Let it stand up for about twenty minutes. Then, mix 1/iv of a cup of laundry detergent with ane/four of a loving cup of bleach in one gallon of warm h2o and use this magic potion to mop up the mess.

10. WD-40

Most American families take a can of WD-xl in their garage. This multi-purpose solvent has over 2,000 uses listed past the company, and it'southward perfectly suited for ridding your driveway of that unsightly oil stain.

If the oil stain on concrete is still wet, get-go apply a paper towel to soak up every bit much of information technology as y'all can. Then, spray your target area with a generous corporeality of WD-xl and let it sit for five minutes. Next, wipe it skillful with an old rag.

That alone may solve your problem, but if not, cascade dish soap on what'due south left of the stain and some hot water over the dish lather. Scrub the stain with a bristle castor and and then, for good measure, pour a saucepan of boiling water over the area. After it dries, your stain should be a affair of the past.

How to remove oil stains from driveway is a question that many homeowners have, and we promise yous are able to put these tips to good employ. Go on in mind that you volition want to experiment with different solutions to see what works best for you. Information technology may have some trial and error to discover the best style to eliminate oil stains from your concrete driveway. Imagine how good information technology will feel existence able to cross off "clean oil off driveway" from your to-exercise list.

Now that you lot know how to remove oil stains from driveway, y'all may wish to consider having your driveway sealed, which would foreclose y'all in the future from spending your weekend trying to remove oil stains from your driveway. Nigh driveway contractors, according to Angie's List, charge betwixt $.08 and $.16 per square human foot to seal your driveway.

This blog post was contributed by Fix Machine Burligame a leading industry expert and collision repair shop servicing the San Francisco and Silicon Valley expanse.